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Ducati preparing ‘significant’ Desmosedici revamp for Aragon

Ducati is planning to debut a ‘significant’ upgraded version of its Desmosedici machine in the forthcoming Motorland Aragon MotoGP race, MCN can reveal.

The revamp will be the biggest since Gigi Dall’Igna took over as technical guru last November and is the first sign of the Italian’s influence in designing a Desmosedici that he hopes will challenge Honda and Yamaha’s domination of MotoGP.

The Aragon upgrade is effectively a GP14.5, with much of the re-design aimed at evaluating concepts ahead of a completely new Desmosedici project being rolled out in 2015.

Ducati has been cagey about revealing specific details about the Aragon machine, but it definitely features a brand new engine and chassis.

MCN understands the revised engine has been modified so it can be moved more in the frame than the current version, as Dall’Igna seeks to finally make some major progress in solving a long-standing understeer issue with the Desmosedici project.

Ducati boss Paolo Ciabatti told MCN: “This bike is different from the current bike and something significant.”

It is not clear yet whether the new Desmosedici will be made available to Andrea Dovizioso and Andrea Iannone, who will form Ducati’s official MotoGP squad in 2015.

Limited parts might mean the new machine is only given to Dovizioso, who has proven the outstanding Desmosedici rider in 2014 with three front row starts and two podiums.

What is certain is that the new upgrade won’t be an option for British rider Cal Crutchlow to ride in the final stages of his nightmare spell at Ducati.

Crutchlow is leaving Ducati at the end of the season to move to the LCR Honda squad. And as is standard procedure for a departing rider, access to new parts is unlikely.

Ciabatti added: “If you have something new in the direction of a new bike next year, you normally tend not to give it to someone who is leaving. This is normal and it doesn’t mean you don’t like the rider. It is likely that it might not be available to Cal for these reasons.”